Industry soul-searches: How could staff leave guests to fend for themselves?

Kolkata: The fire at Rituraj Hotel in central Kolkata's Mechhua wholesale fruit market area, which left 14 dead, revealed shocking details about how building rules were flouted and fire detection and fighting systems remained inoperative. What has rattled the hospitality industry even more is the manner in which the hotel staff fled the scene, leaving guests to fend for themselves in the emergency situation.
Functionaries of the Hotel & Restaurant Association of Eastern India, the umbrella organisation of the hospitality industry in the region, while expressing grief over the deaths, criticised the behaviour of the hotel staff that went against the principles of the sector. "In hospitality, the guest is God. In an emergency like fire, where the first action is evacuation, it is the duty of the hotel management and staff to ensure that all the guests are safely evacuated before they leave the building. Even during the terror attack in Mumbai, general manager Karambir Kang, who was not present when the attack began, rushed back to the hotel to oversee evacuation efforts that saved hundreds of lives. In the same incident, a senior waiter, Thomas Varghese, evacuated a restaurant and was shot dead. While these are extraordinary instances of courage, the first thing that one learns on joining the industry is to ensure the safety of guests. From what it appears, this did not happen in this case, which is unacceptable," said HRAEI secretary Pranav Singh.

Of the 14 people who died in the fire on Tuesday evening, 13 were guests. The sole hotel staffer who died on Tuesday jumped in panic and succumbed to injuries. It was this jump that alerted locals to the fire in the hotel, which was not otherwise visible as the windows were walled up. "Most of the staff either escaped through the entrance or took shelter on the terrace. While guests on the fourth and fifth floors managed to scramble to the terrace, many of those on the second, third, and fourth floors were asphyxiated as they could not leave their rooms. There is also an instance of a child who walked out crying but returned to the room and perished with her sibling," a fireman pointed out.
Fire industry consultant Tarak Chakraborty pointed out that it was critical for hotel staff to sound the alarm in case of fire and knock on each door to safely evacuate the guests because they are familiar with the building's layout and the easiest access to the exit or a fire refuge like the terrace. "When people check into hotels, they simply take the elevator and enter their room. When lights go off in a fire and smoke start to invade the area, it is challenging for anyone unfamiliar with the layout to find the stairs and head to safety without assistance," he pointed out.
HRAEI president Sudesh Poddar said the association would send out a strong directive to all members on the need to not only adhere to all fire norms but also ensure that drills are carried out and staff are trained on how to act in an emergency. "Evacuating guests is always the priority. What happened in the hotel appears to be an aberration. But this should never happen again. We will conduct a workshop if necessary," he added.